Vettel may need another 90 wins to equal his compatriot but he in on the right track, having spent time at Schumacher's Kerpen karting circuit and sharing his love of soccer.
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The seven-times champion, watching from the Ferrari pit wall, was open in praise for a youngster who never put a wheel out of place after starting behind the safety car on a wet and slippery surface.
"What he did today was absolutely first class -- to make no mistakes in these conditions and dominate the race from the start, and that in a car that is not the fastest," he told Premier TV.
"I was crossing my fingers that the car would keep going and he'd bring it home. I've known him since he was small, we've played football together and so we are closer.
"He has the potential to be world champion but it's a long and rocky road," added Schumacher, who first brought Vettel to the attention of Toro Rosso co-owner Gerhard Berger when the German was a baby-faced teenager with a love of karting.
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